Blue Broadcast -- British bookmaker Blue Square has secured broadcast rights to stream several World Cup qualifying football matches on its Web site, and viewers will be able to use a live in-running betting service to wager while they watch the action. Blue Square's press officer, Ed Pownall, says the broadcast will be a live television stream whose quality will be far superior to normal Internet images for broadband users. The company attracted 6,000 users earlier this year when it did a similar broadcast for a live darts contest in Holland.
WTO Delay -- The chairman of the World Trade Organization Appellate Body considering the case of Antigua and Barbuda vs. the United States has notified the WTO's Dispute Settlement Body that the Appellate Body will not be able to provide its report on schedule and has therefore asked for an extension. The United States filed its notice of appeal on Jan. 7, 2005, and WTO rules stipulate that the Appellate Body must circulate its report no later than 60 days after such a notice is given--which in this case was March 8. The Appellate Body stated, "Due to the time required for completion and translation of the report, the Appellate Body will not be able to circulate its report in this appeal by Tuesday, 8 March 2005. We estimate that the Appellate Body report will be circulated to WTO members no later than Thursday, 7 April 2005."
Access Blocked -- Israeli newspaper Haaretz reports that the Cassava group of Web sites, including Casino-on-net.com, 888.com and PacificPoker.com, has made a strategic decision to block Israeli residents from accessing their online gambling services primarily because there is a lack of clarity in Israeli law regarding Internet gambling. Arguably the largest Internet casino in operation, 888.com was founded by and is controlled by two pairs of Israeli brothers, Avi and Aharon Shaked and Shai and Ron Ben-Yitzhak.
Partners -- Multi-platform I-gaming solutions provider Zone4Play has entered into a technology partnership with Orbis Technology, developer of the OpenBet gambling platform, whereby Zone4Play will develop front-end solutions and game engines for mobile devices, broadcast TV and iTV gaming so that they may be integrated into the OpenBet platform.
Mobile Palace -- Phantom Fiber, a company that provides mobile technology and solutions to the I-gaming industry, has signed a five-year license agreement to supply its advanced wireless framework to GoldenPalace.com, whose new GoldenPalace Mobile Web site (goldenpalacemobile.com) offers casino games and banking facilities for Java-enabled mobile devices. The companies' press release announcing the deal states that "GoldenPalace.com plans to continue its aggressive marketing approach which combines the power of media and over-the-top promotions to capture and convert customers to its wireless service." Among some of GoldenPalace's latest "over-the-top promotions" are the sponsorship of a child's birth (the son of the woman who attended the Daytona 500 with the casino's logo on her pregnant belly) and the purchase on eBay of a silicone breast (size 69-HH) removed from former adult film star Tawny Peaks.
Bulgarian SportXction -- Sportingbet has expanded its agreement with Interactive Systems Worldwide Inc. (ISWI) to launch ISWI's SportXction play-by-play sports betting system on its Bulgarian wagering site, bg.sportingbet.com. The launch of SportingXction on Sportingbet's Spanish, Greek and Turkish Web sites in the later months of 2004 has already dramatically improved Sportingbet's financial figures.
Betbull In-Running -- eGaming Review reports that Betbull - The European Betting Exchange Plc is planning to launch its own in-running betting product for bookmakers. According to Simon Bold, the copmany's chief operating officer, "Most big online sports books are offering live betting now, and most of them aren't doing it very well. You need to offer a live betting product and no matter how much you develop it will never compare to what a customer can get on a betting exchange."
WWTS Acquisition -- Betcorp, the Australian parent company of Antigua-based BetWWTS, has acquired Sinsational, the holding company of Cybersportsbook.com for $6.15 million.
Poker Beat -- World Poker Exchange has announced that IFILM.com--a streaming video Web site that features a wide variety of content, including short films, trailers, TV clips, music videos, and viral videos--will film Worldpx.com's first annual World Intercollegiate Poker Championship in Cancun, Mexico from March 12-14 and will exclusively stream clips and highlights on its Web site. World Poker Exchange has also signed a sponsorship agreement with Susie Isaacs, the first woman to ever win back-to-back World Series of Poker championships (in 1996 and 1997). She is also a regular columnist for Poker Player newspaper, Women's Poker Player and Fifth Street magazine, and she will appear regularly on two television shows in 2005--"Fox Sports National" and "Final Table Challenge." According to World Poker Exchange, "Our tournament play sponsorship of Susie Isaacs marks the beginning of a formal pro-team recruitment effort we have initiated, with additional player announcements to follow shortly"… Meanwhile PartyPoker.com has announced its own sponsorship of a female poker professional. The company welcomes Kathy Liebert, winner of television network GSN's "Battle of the Sexes" tournament, as its new spokeswoman.
Celebrity Betting -- Clear Media, the company that runs the Pointspread.com Web site (where users can compare the sports betting odds of the site's sponsored bookmaking partners), has launched another Web site, WhataretheOdds.com, which enables visitors to compare the wagering odds on an array of novelty propositions, such as celebrity break-ups, divorces, pregnancies arrests and more.